1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for playing back recorded video images related to an event and a method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Installation of a digital monitoring system including a plurality of network cameras, a recording apparatus to record camera video images, and a viewer to play back live video images or recorded video images is proceeding at a rapid rate. Japanese Patent Application National Publication (Laid-Open) No. 2007-505523 discusses a method for enabling a corresponding event on a time line when a camera is specified to clarify the correspondence between a specific camera and an event. Also, a method for playing back recorded video images captured by the corresponding camera from the corresponding time when an event is specified is discussed. U.S. Pat. No. 6,144,375 discusses a method for configuring a three-dimensional model of scenes from video images taken from a plurality of cameras, establishing correspondences between events and video images, and displaying events for each object.
An event in which a person carrying an object appears during capturing of moving images and the person then goes away while leaving behind the object can be detected as a desertion detection event. Here, if a desertion detection event occurs, it is useful if the person who has brought in the deserted object can be checked. However, according to a conventional technique, in order to play back video images of an object related to an event, it is usual to sequentially specify related events after the relationship between the object and events is considered by the user. Also, according to a conventional technique, a window dedicated to the object is separately displayed to know correspondence relations between the object and events. Thus, it is difficult to intuitively understand the correspondence relations between the object and events.